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08/01/2016

Well, not so easy easy to adapt to be honest... Be it only because of the climate and the wildlife.

For example from May to June it was hot. So hot even the mosquitoes did not survive here, and it was nice! At nearly fifty degrees, you are at high risk of liquefaction, at least of your brain. Even the pool water becomes too hot. One or two sandstorms to spice up everything and give a little fun to the cleaning lady, as the house is apparently completely permeable to dust. From time to time we can spot a snake looking for water, possibly in the pool, even he is hot the poor thing...

End of June – beginning of July there were ups and downs, and a little rain. Just enough for flies to hatch. Quite a nuisance these flies. Obviously, when it gets hot the AC guy comes by to check that everything works well in the office. And as everything works well, he decides to be a bit zealous and loosen some valves. Following which he creates a water damage and flees the crime scene, letting water flowing from the ceiling cheerfully. How nice was it, all of us sweat profusely in the office during the following week!

And then mid-July it began to rain a little more, almost once a week. Just enough for mosquitoes to resuscitate this time! And at the end of the month, a day or two of heavy rains destroyed a lot of infrastructure – well, they forgot to put a drainage system when they built the city so I don’t get how everybody got so surprised by the flooded roads – and left Gurgaon stranded for almost an entire night (cf below what the poor rich of my society had to go through, tough life!). And gave life back to the... ants! Yes yes! So at the moment there is a waltz of flies, mosquitoes and ants. And the temperatures are quite pleasant (minus the humidity otherwise it would be too much happiness).

Apart from all these summer, climate and entomological considerations, life isn't so bad in our big quite house. What is a little painful is that nothing is at a walkable distance. But hey, we can’t have everything!

08/04/2012

Me: It's cool, the rain has arrived in Delhi, temperatures have dropped, we lost 15 degrees...

Him: Regarding temperatures I found online that it is still 32°C in Delhi! So a drop of 15°C would mean that it was 47°C... You wouldn’t be from the South of France by any chance?!*

Me: Nope but I’m not joking it goes up to 47 degrees in the summer!

(Thinking about it he must not read my blog so faithfully after all!)

He: Ok! With this temperature (48°C) you liquefy don’t you? And I guess there is a local ULTRA powerful deodorant... or a dedicated research lab?

Me: (Indian) grandma recipe: talc powder!

Him: Just a question about the talc... They put it everywhere??

Me: And you? You put deo everywhere??

Him: Yeah... ok! You are quibblingl! But I find it "strange" to put talc powder under the armpits! So it's cool in the morning…Talc on the feet! Under the arms! We never know, maybe on the buttocks! Moisture can cause erythema... Can you buy it in bulks?

Joke aside, most Indians use talc as a deodorant (it absorbs odours) and it is more eco-friendly.

Even if marketing people in L’Oreal who keep fighting white traces may find it horrible…. In the morning, in the metro, most women have large white traces around the neck... And I saw once a man with the back full of hair and talc. Yuck...

* People from the South of France have a reputation of exaggerating everything…

06/06/2012

I do not like AC. It is polluting, it is expensive, it dries skin and throat. I drive my favorite Indian crazy by putting the timer on so that the AC stops from time to time. Well let me tell you that April in Delhi did it for me.

I no longer cross a room in the flat without the AC on.It runs continuously and I am still hot.I have not had a cold shower for weeks, and I do not put the heater on! I have even to put the cat's water in the fridge.

In these circumstances, when the AC of the living-room starts acting funny, meaning blowing hot air, I say NO. Not happening. Especially since I already had it repaired for the same problem last month!

Having lived cloistered in the office room and bed room for two weeks I finally decided to call a guy. I called JustDial who sent me several numbers. All of them were either busy or nobody spoke English. I called my electrician who promised to send someone. After calling him back at least four times I gave up. Then I remembered that I had stored the number of the guy who repaired the same AC last month. He also does not speak English. But with him, I did not let go. I called ten times on Sunday. He was late ...

He spent 3 hours repairing the AC, changing parts, filling gas and more. When he was finished, I did not have enough cash to pay him. So I asked him to wait, so that I could change, get out and withdraw money. Five minutes later I was out of my room. Just to make sure I checked the temperature of the air leaving the AC. Believe it or not but it was hot! I sat down.He tried to explain something related to the compressor. Then he must have figured that he would spend less time going back return to work on the AC than explaining the problem to me! Because he spent the next half hour pouring ice and water in the machine ...

He then asked me if the car was mine? Yes, the BMW? Nope why? (Oh f… sh… don’t tell me he has damaged the neighbors’ car!). No, it was just filthy ... Phew!

The story is almost over.I spent my Sunday from 11 to 18 getting my AC fixed.

So on Wednesday when it started again, I blew a fuse.I harassed the guy. Worse than a spurned lover coupled with a drug addict in need. He turned off his two phones. Well I continued to call, more than twenty times, and he came, at 20:30.

Bottom line, it's just too hot. The AC is overheating. It has to be turned off for one hour when it overheats.Superb.

And thereupon my projector is also overheating.

I was making fun of Indians who spend overtime at the office just to be in the AC. Never again!!